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Originally Posted by ring
Knock it the fuck off.
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Some profanity is o.k., just not the type that offends you?
---------- Post added at 11:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:16 PM ----------
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Originally Posted by rahl
Making decisions on impulse or "feelings" is why Bush fucked up Iraq. He had no clear goal going in, and no exit strategy.
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Bush did not "fuck up" Iraq, once the dust settles let the Iraqi people address that issue. From the point of view of the "war on terror", we are still at war, and it is "our" war.
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And regarding your house building scenario, you could probably build a little make shift house having no knowledge of architecture or engineering, but it's gonna be a really shitty house that will probably stand for a week or two but will probably fall apart after a good rain storm. That's what happens when you do something complicated you have no idea how to do. That's why you hire someone who does know what they are doing.
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I would hire people with expertise to design and build the house I want. They would follow my vision, my direction. I would rely on their expertise for the details and to get the job done to the standards I define.
---------- Post added at 11:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:22 PM ----------
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Originally Posted by roachboy
ace has shifted his monologue to this sort of question. so the only response really is that i or someone else does not share ace's aesthetic nor the conception of Power which it expresses and that's the end of that.
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I simply posted (#266) my opinion and a couple of quotes from journalists. On the question, I did not expect a response. When I post my opinion it has no more value than anyone else's, and it is clear to anyone who has read my views, knows my opinion as I expressed it, is not open to real discussion because the only way it will change is based on different behavior from Obama, not from the opinions of others. I often make it clear when I am not open minded, this is one of those occasions. So, again your post should not be directed to me, but to those who engage me and for you to ask yourself why you continue to read what I post since you have a problem with just about everything I post.
---------- Post added at 11:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:34 PM ----------
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Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
I seem to keep coming to the same conclusion: it's hard to demonstrate and express one's own convictions when one's job is to manage, control, or otherwise undo the damage caused by the convictions of others.
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I don't find that a challenge at all. No matter what the circumstances or conditions, you do what you think is right. Every day is a new day. Every problem is a new problem. Focus on undoing, compared to doing, in my view seems to be backward and perhaps counter-productive.
---------- Post added at 11:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:39 PM ----------
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Originally Posted by roachboy
in the same way that poverty in conservativeland is about lack of gumption or drive or any number of other inward attributes.
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You mis-characterize conservative view. Opportunity to exercise free choice is a cornerstone to people reaching their maximum potential. Big government often robs people of the opportunity to exercise free choice. Even when the intent may be good, often the consequences are not.
---------- Post added at 12:00 AM ---------- Previous post was Yesterday at 11:44 PM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
I think it all comes down to this idea of perpetual crisis that Americans seem to value in a twisted kind of way: war isn't something you use as a tool--a means to an end--war is something you manage; war (and even lesser conflicts) is an ongoing procedural reality of a nation's perceived security and even survival.
We know how G. W. Bush marked a turning point in foreign policy with this regard, and now we have Obama handling the fallout of that. If anything, Obama has shown his convictions in that he believes it would be folly to carry on how his predecessor did. He's just not nearly as overt about it. The impact of not doing something isn't nearly as visible as doing something. And when you have Obama doing such things that can be deemed as "staying the course" a la Bush, it's perceived as business as usual--a third term. But what new Bushlike initiatives has Obama unleashed on the world?
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The Canadian involvement in the Iraq war was interesting. I seemed the country took a principled stance against preemptive war but got involved after the invasion apparently to help re-build but what some called "re-building" others called an occupation and no matter how you say it- it was a war. As Canadian leaders took a principled stance against the invasion they also made note of how they supported the US military effort. Canada committed money to the effort and Canadian died in the conflict. How did Bush's reach affect Canadians and why did it happen?